


Where you used to be

by Ohaymikoto



Series: Mega Man Unmixed [9]
Category: Mega Man (Archie Comics), Rockman Megamix | Mega Man Megamix, Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types, Rockman | Mega Man Classic
Genre: Anger, Brotherly Angst, Determination, Emotional Outbursts, Family Feels, Family Reunions, Gardens & Gardening, Gen, Ghosts, Grief/Mourning, Hallucinations, Hope, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Language of Flowers, Laughter, Mental Specters, Mild Language, Moving On, Optimism, Regret, Self-blaming, Survivor Guilt, Thunderstorms, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, coping with loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24186736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ohaymikoto/pseuds/Ohaymikoto
Summary: "In our lives there is now a void, a void where you used to be."In the wake of the destruction left by the Stardroids the world is slowly rebuilding itself, but for the Light family the process of rebuilding themselves proves to be a very difficult task, for what will they do now that the comforting presence they took almost for granted is no longer with them?(Formerly part of Mega Man Mixing but is no longer canon.)
Series: Mega Man Unmixed [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2140221
Comments: 10
Kudos: 15





	1. Dr Light

**Author's Note:**

> Some details do not fully follow the canon presented in Megamix and Gigamix and do borrow some elements from the Archie Comics Mega Man.

Dr Thomas Light loved all of his creations equally, they were all his children no matter what anyone tried to tell him, from big burly Guts Man to distant Time Man. They were his family and he loved them with all of his heart.

So the loss even one of them would devastate him.

The old scientist sat in his armchair with a thick album in hand, he’d long since tuned out the constant noise of construction around him since it became rather common place in the aftermath of the destruction left by the Stardroids, Tango purred in his lap while she slept.

A melancholic smile was spread across his face as his tired eyes took in all the frozen moments in the photos, one photo showed Rock playing fetch with Rush on the beach and his son had such a vibrant expression on his frozen face, another photo showed Guts Man and Splash Woman singing a duet at their annual family Christmas party.

Dr Light chuckled softly at one photo that showed Oil Man running away like a madman from a very enraged Time Man who had oil and feathers stuck on him, another photo showed his sweet Roll painting Bomb Man's special Easter themed mini bombs along with said Robot Master and Fire Man and Jewel Man.

They had experienced so much together, good times and bad times, it had made them stronger.

One photo showed Hornet Man looking very distressed while trying to dance a dance with Plug Man who looked much happier compared to his brother, another photo showed Tornado Man arm wrestling with Concrete Man and both looked very determined while Galaxy Man who was being their judge looked mostly bored.

Dr Light flipped to the next page and saw one photo that showed Elec Man and Magma Man having a drinking contests, the scientist shook his head fondly at their antics, another photo was an old one that showed Blues after he’d just gotten his yellow scarf and he looked so happy to have it.

Dr Light briefly looked down at the sleeping robot cat in his lap and saw that very same scarf wrapped around her neck and styled into a ribbon by Roll, where could Blues be these days? Who knows really, hopefully that boy took care of himself at least.

Returning to the photo album Dr Light looked at the next page and his smile dropped into a sad frown, one photo showed Cut Man and Ice Man folding paper roses together, the orange Robot Master grinned slyly at Ice Man who was visibly struggling with the paper.

His heart let out a dull ache at the sight of his recently deceased son, so vibrant and full of life, he was deeply missed. Dr Light softly shut the thick album and gently moved Tango while she slept on, she kept purring in the armchair alone.

To think it’s only been a week since his son gave up his life to save them all.

The bearded scientist returned the photo album to the small bookcase in his room, not much had survived the destruction caused by the Stardroids but thankfully some of the most important things had and that photo album was among them. Dr Light just stood in front of the bookcase for a while, many emotions swirled in his heart and mind, but eventually he left his small bedroom.

Light Labs was mostly reconstructed, the most important places anyway like the bedrooms and Dr Light's lab, but it was still far from fully restored. Guts Man was working very hard to get a stable roof back over his family’s heads, Dr Light had nothing but admiration for his largest son.

The human man sighed deeply when he entered his lab, it was not fully furnished yet and most of the technological equipment he required to properly tend to his children was still being delivered from the postal service, but at least the old man had a desk and chair to sit by when he needed to occupy his mind with something.

Dr Light quietly grabbed a few sheets of paper and began to fold them without hesitation.

_"Dad look! I made a bird!"_

A feeling of nostalgia washed over Dr Light and a small smile crept its way back across his old face, he could remember it so well...

_"That’s very impressive, but where did you learn origami?"_

_A younger Dr Light gently held the origami crane in his hand, it was not perfect but still very impressive for a first attempt. His newest son DLN-003, Cut Man, gave him a quizzical look._

_"Origami? What’s that?"_

_Cut Man asked confused, he’d never heard that word before. Dr Light chuckled then typed the foreign word into his computer, once the results showed up on the screen he showed it to Cut Man. The orange Robot Master furrowed his invisible brow at what he was reading._

_"I thought it was just folding paper into shapes..."_

_Dr Light hummed and brought up a few images of examples of origami, different shapes like flowers and animals cluttered the entire screen, his son gazed at the pictures in awe and growing curiosity._

_Cut Man grabbed a few sheets of paper then ran off to try some new shapes, Dr Light smiled fondly as he watched the Robot Master leave then placed the little paper crane next to his computer and returned to finishing the blueprints of DLN-004, Guts Man._

The old scientist recalled fondly how his son had tried different origami shapes and presented every single one to him once they were finished, the little paper pieces really livened up his lab, how he missed them. Cut Man had grown the most fond of origami flowers and would often craft them in his free time or whenever someone looked a little under the weather.

Dr Light never did find out where Cut Man had learned origami from.

The paper in his hands slowly took the shape of a flower with many petals, Dr Light had picked up his son's hobby after a while and did it mostly when he needed to take a break from all of his work. He found it relaxing then, now it just brought up both happy and sad memories of the son he lost.

It’s always the little things that reminds you of the ones you’ve lost.

Dr Light sighs and places the finished flower down on his desk, if only he had all of his lab equipment ready then he could start building Cut Man's new body and then he could bring him back to his family where he belonged.

The old scientist shakes his head slowly and gets up from his desk, he mustn’t let the grief swallow him now like it had many times before in his dreams, his old eyes glanced down at a small storage device.

Inside that device was Cut Man’s cognitive circuit safely preserved until it could be installed into the new body, Dr Light had taken great care when removing it from his son during the operation to save Mega Man's life and it’s reassuring presence had eased the grief of his other children somewhat but not much.

_"Dad, I don’t blame you..."_

Dr Light laughed quietly to himself, had all this dwelling on the past pushed him so far in his emotional state that he was now hearing voices? No, he needed some fresh air was all.

The old scientist left his desk where the storage device with the cognitive circuit rested amongst a few origami flowers, waiting patiently for the day when the owner of said circuit would return to claim it.


	2. Guts Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pain won’t catch up to him if he never stops working.

How long had he been doing this to himself?

Guts Man discarded another emptied E-tank into the wastebasket and sighed deeply then gazed out at all the construction going on around him, they were entering the beginning of the second week of reconstruction after the Stardroids attack and he was tired. The large Light bot had been working nonstop all this time and it was starting to tear at him.

"Gotta keep working...don’t stop working..."

This was repeated in his mind like a haunted mantra, whenever he felt tired he would whisper it under his breath. He could not afford to stop working now.

His pops had voiced his concern multiple times over his newfound obsession to keep working, it was not healthy his pops argued but it all fell on deaf audio receptors.

Guts Man held a thick iron girder in place while a couple of humans quickly began applying sturdy bolts and the like to secure it in place, a portion of the local hospital had suffered extensive damage and they were just finishing up the support for the infrastructure.

The sun was already starting to set.

The humans eventually had to head home to get some rest but robots like Guts Man could keep working longer, the simpler robots worked without complaints however a certain someone was getting on Guts Man's case again.

"You heard the boss, put away your equipment and head home."

Guts Man sighed deeply and shot an annoyed glance over his shoulder to find Concrete Man glaring back at him with his arms fully crossed against his bulky chest.

"You are free to do so but I’m going to keep going."

Concrete Man growled in deep annoyance and snatched another iron girder from his older brother’s grasp, clearly he was meaning business this time.

"Stop being stubborn!!"

Guts Man froze at his fellow Light bot's words and dreaded familiarity crept its way into his mind upon hearing that phrase.

_"Stop being stubborn!!"_

_Guts Man grunted angrily but otherwise ignored Cut Man's seething words, the much smaller Light bot tapped his foot in deep agitation and had his arms crossed. The sun had set long ago and Guts Man was the only robot left at the construction site._

_"And I keep telling you that I’m almost done."_

_Cut Man stomped his foot and marched away in a deep huff, Guts Man sighed then turned back to his work, this parking lot needed finishing. The large Light bot was not prepared for a sudden force slamming into his back and he was sent tumbling forward into the dirt._

_The construction Robot Master blinked in confusion and felt a light weight shifting on his back, a familiar voice hissed and then the weight was gone. Guts Man fixed his tired but annoyed gaze up as Cut Man stood in front of him on a very obvious limp, both brothers looking equally exasperated with the other._

_"You said you would be done three hours ago and now it’s close to midnight so pack up and let’s go home!"_

_The older Light bot order with a firm tone of voice, showing his own brand of stubbornness on clear display - must be a family trait._

_"But we have to finish the parking lot by tomorrow!"_

_Guts Man argued and got up into a sitting position, very ready to verbally fight this out with his brother if he had too, however he was caught off guard by the sheer exhaustion visible in Cut Man’s angry glare._

_The older Light bot was clearly running on fumes as well like Guts Man._

_"And it will be done tomorrow after a proper night of rest, now let me ask you a question Gutsy. What good are you to everyone exhausted and overworking yourself?"_

_Guts Man opened his mouth to answer but no words came out and he averted his eyes, the other Robot Master was right in his question and he knew it._

_"If there is an accident or something happens then you need to be fully alert and ready to take control of things not exhausted like this, now please...let’s go home."_

_Cut Man really stressed the emphasis on the word please, he then placed his small hand on Guts Man's arm and gazed at him, with all his anger filled frustration gone it was clear he was not only tired but worried for his younger brother’s health._

_"....fine."_

_The construction Robot Master eventually yielded with a deep sigh and slowly got to his feet, Cut Man's shoulders sagged and he patted Guts Man’s arm in gratitude. The forestry Robot Master turned to start walking home despite of his limp that he gave himself when he tackled his brother but yelped in surprise when a big hand plucked him off of the ground with ease._

_Guts Man helped his older brother up on his shoulders and he could feel the other's confused gaze from where he sat on his shoulders, the large Light bot scratched his yellow construction helmet and began walking._

_"And you call me stubborn, Little Guy."_

_Cut Man scoffed at Guts Man’s words but the smile on his face was clear to see even when he fell asleep on his brother halfway home._

He should’ve apologized or at the very least thanked his brother for stopping him from overworking himself that night, his accursed pride wouldn’t let him though, and he lost any chance of doing so in the nearest future because the very next day those damn Stardroids showed up.

That had been their last proper conversation together before that terrible day happened.

"Guts? Hello?"

Guts Man flinched when Concrete Man's voice penetrated his thoughts and he looked directly into the other Robot Master's eyes, Concrete Man saw the overwhelming exhaustion in his brother’s eyes but also saw the deep grief and regret.

"I have to keep working...if I stop then...then I think of what happened and...he...he..."

Guts Man's tough exterior finally broke and hot tears gathered at his optics, he covered his face with one of his hands but his entire frame trembled. His brother’s comforting hand on his back only made the tears fall faster.

"I know, I know."

Concrete Man did not need any names mentioned to know exactly what Guts Man was despairing over, he missed the forestry Robot Master as well. The construction Robot Master gently began guiding Guts Man away from the construction site.

Guts Man had tried to bury his pain by working, if he kept working then he would have no time to grieve, but all he was doing was hurting himself further.

_"Please rest Gutsy..."_

How long had he been doing this to himself?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got hit with sudden creativity and wrote this whole chapter in one go, so it’s getting posted a bit earlier than usual.


	3. Fire Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The badge he wore was a reminder to never give up, it gave him the strength to carry on in the wake of loss.

Fire Man took a deep calming breath and exhaled slowly, he stretched until his joints popped out of their previously stiff state and swung his arms lazily. The sun shone down on Light Labs and the sound of morning bird song echoed in Fire Man's audio receptors.

The fiery Robot Master gazed towards the corner of his vision to see his father, Dr Light, mimicking his movements. It was their shared morning exercise, it helped them both wake up in the morning and Fire Man hoped the physical exercise would help his father feel better.

"You off to the waste facility?"

Dr Light asked calmly once he caught his son staring at him, Fire Man nodded and wrapped his father in a warm hug before leaving the backyard of their home.

Light Labs was fully rebuilt into what it once was after two whole weeks, it was hard to imagine that the Stardroids attack was already two weeks behind them, Guts Man had been very relieved when it all had finished up and so was everyone else since that meant Guts Man could get some more regular rest.

"Icey, you still here?"

Fire Man called out to his arctic brother who was tending to a flower garden by the front lawn, a patch of red carnations he’d been told. Ice Man looked up from his work and gave a sheepish look.

"Yeah...I wanted to make sure the flowers weren’t damaged by the heavy rains yesterday, would be a shame if they got destroyed..."

Fire Man had a knowing smirk on his face and patted Ice Man on the head, he kept his touch brief due to their vastly different body temperatures. The flowers in question had yet to bloom and still remained as buds but Fire Man had a pretty good guess as to why his brother had planted them in the first place.

"I’m sure Roll will love them, red carnations does happen to be her favorite flowers after all, a sweet coincidence."

Ice Man spluttered and blushed madly, the small Light bot stumbled over his words as he tried to make up an excuse that didn’t include Roll while Fire Man just snickered.

"Don’t stay too long or you might get late for work."

With that Fire Man left his home behind and walked down the newly repaired road leading to town, there was still a lot of reconstruction going on in Tokyo but the town was indeed returning to It’s former state of being. A true testament to all the hardworking humans and robots who made this possible.

The destruction of Tokyo had left Fire Man with a lot of things to burn and melt down, many days in a row he’d been forced to work overtime in order to chip away at the mountains of debris and broken objects.

Thankfully that mountain was starting to shrink now.

The fiery Robot Master arrived at work on time and he could feel the atmosphere lifting slightly amongst his coworkers as more and more waste got disposed of, it brought a smile to his face to see some life returning to his workplace.

With that he got to work, time to bring on the fire!

"Time flows when you’re fired up."

It was already lunch break by the time Fire Man ceased burning waste, he needed to refuel and let his flamethrowers cool off for a bit. The Light bot devoured a few E-tanks and then excused himself to take a walk outside.

The cool breeze would help get his heat down faster and he needed the oxygen refill anyway.

Fire Man hummed while he walked, his cheery disposition did drop however when he came upon a somber sight.

A soup kitchen for the people left homeless after the attack, a number of them had popped up through out Tokyo to ease the downtrodden populace. This stand however seemed to be struggling with something, well Fire Man could certainly not overlook this.

"What seems to be the matter?"

He inquired as he approached the frazzled humans, they gestured in distress towards their portable oven. The Light bot inspected the oven more closely and could easily spot what was wrong, and it was a very easy thing for him to fix.

"Thank you so much, how could we ever thank you?"

The fiery Robot Master waved his hand dismissively, he didn’t need a reward for just helping out, he flashed them a smile.

"You can thank me by keeping up the good work you’re doing, lifting the spirit of the people is very important."

The human he was talking to chuckled knowingly and gazed out at the crowd hungrily eating the warm food they’d given to them, the hungry people radiated an aura of rekindled joy as their bellies filled up.

"We’re just doing our part, most of them lost their homes and some unfortunate ones even lost members of their families, if even a portion of warm food can bring them some joy then we’re all more than happy to serve."

The Light bot nodded in agreement and his hand slowly traveled up to a sheriffs badge he’d pinned on his chest, the small golden star sparkled in the sun.

"Lost their families huh? I know what that feels like."

_Fire Man eyed the shining star that was pinned on the bulletin board among many different badges and pins, just one of the many prices available from the ball toss game, he wanted it so badly._

_As the flame of justice, he needed it._

_"Not gonna try?"_

_Fire Man tore his gaze away from the star to see his older brother Cut Man looking up at him with an inquisitive look, the taller Light bot shook his head slowly for as much as he wanted the badge he knew that he did not have the skills needed to win the ball toss game._

_"I couldn’t aim to save my live, the flames of justice are not made for pinpoint accuracy."_

_Cut Man raised a non existent brow and hummed rather unconvinced, he glanced from his brother to the star and then back to his brother. Fire Man took one last longing look at the shining badge then trudged away from the stall leaving his older brother behind._

_The rest of their day off spent at the amusement park was cut short when Bass appeared to challenge Mega Man to a fight, Fire Man had tried to assist where he could but was no real match for Bass, thankfully the Blue Bomber managed to drive the Wily bot off after the part timer squad came to his aid._

_"Sheriff!"_

_Fire Man perked up when he heard his nickname being called, it was an affectionate nickname used only by family, the fiery Robot Master looked over his shoulder to see Cut Man approaching him. Both brothers had taken somewhat of a beating at the hands of Bass so both of them were sporting bruises and scratches on their bodies._

_"Yes? Need help with something?"_

_Fire Man asked curiously, the flame of justice was always eager to help, Cut Man shook his head and held up his right hand. The forestry Robot Master's right hand that was closed opened up to reveal a shining object resting neatly in the palm of his hand._

_It was the star badge Fire Man had desired so badly._

_"That’s...!"_

_Fire Man gasped in disbelief and stared transfixed upon the badge, how had his brother obtained it? Had he found it amongst the rubble? Had he actually gone out of his way to win it for Fire Man?_

_"Won it for ya, glad it didn’t get damaged during this whole mess."_

_Cut Man smirked and slowly pinned the sheriffs badge to his speechless brother’s chest, it had been a piece of cake for Cut Man to win at the ball toss game - his Rolling Cutter required accuracy to be used and thrown properly after all._

_"I...Why...?"_

_Fire Man wasn’t ungrateful, quite the opposite in fact, but why had the other Light bot done it without being asked to?_

_"Because you’re the Sheriff, the flame of justice, of course you’d need a badge to accompany the title."_

_Cut Man spoke with determination and patted Fire Man on the shoulder with a good hearted laugh, though his expression slowly turned soft._

_"But more importantly than that, don’t give up before you’ve even tried, you might surprise even yourself with what you’re truly capable of."_

_The fiery Robot Master recalled how he’d given up on winning the badge without having even tried once to get it, he had not earned this badge on his own merits. Gently Fire Man touched the shining star pinned on his chest and tears of happiness blurred his optics._

_The taller Light bot pulled his older brother into a tight hug and hiccuped._

_"Thank you! I’ll earn this badge, I promise!"_

_Cut Man patted Fire Man's back flustered and chuckled lightly, his fiery brother was such a softie but that is what made him so great._

Fire Man shook his head lightly and checked his internal clock, his lunch break was going to be over soon. The Light bot bid the human workers of the soup kitchen good day and began walking back to his workplace.

Thinking about his lost brother did of course make him sad with loss but it also reminded him that he needed to rise up and try his hardest to overcome the pain for the sake of his family, they needed his comforting warmth the most right now, it was his duty as the Sheriff and as the flame of justice.

His brother would return to them one day so until then Fire Man would help his family heal in preparation for that day, when that day came he would proudly proclaim he’d earned his badge.

_"Burning bright as ever Sheriff!"_

He was the flame of justice, his flames would not die out so easily!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fire Man's flashback of Cut Man takes place in chapter 5 of the Megamix manga "warrior's day off", that chapter also happens to be the one that introduces us to the part timer squad.
> 
> I recently wrote a one shot for this series featuring them called "A gift for Charge Man", do check it out if you want some part timer squad fluff!


	4. Ice Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions are really troublesome things sometimes, Ice Man could certainly vouch for that.

Ice Man watched the bar slowly approach its end while his fingers kept rapping across the surface of Dr Light's desk, he’d been waiting for the video to transfer to the USB drive for a while now and his impatience was growing by the minute.

"You at it again?"

The small Light bot turned his attention away from the computer screen and saw Auto assembling an arm joint, his hands were carefully connecting the wires from the wrist to the elbow.

It was Cut Man’s new left arm.

"The camera needs to be emptied after a while, it doesn’t have the same capacity for memory storage like you and I."

Ice Man explained slowly, his gaze remained transfixed upon Auto's work. All of Dr Light's lab equipment had finally been delivered and installed thus giving the scientist back his tools to tend to his robotic children.

And of course, start construction on the new body for their lost family member.

"Ahah and why do you need to do it so often? I can’t imagine you’d have that much to record in your line of work."

Auto commented while he kept tinkering with the arm joint, it was true, Ice Man had been burrowing his father’s computer a lot recently to do these video transfers but had been rather quiet about the reason why he was doing it.

"It’s a secret, I’ll show it off once it’s ready to be presented."

A very dodgy answer he’d had to repeat a lot to most of his family when both their curiosity and concern grew for him, the arctic Robot Master understood why they worried but he just couldn’t tell them yet.

"Sure sure..."

The video finally finished transferring and Ice Man quickly removed the USB then powered down the computer and left Auto to work alone, the small Light bot put the drive in a pocket in his parka and checked over the camera while he traversed the house.

It wasn’t work that he was recording, it was more like a video diary of sorts, it was a bit complicated to explain.

Once Ice Man saw that the camera was okay he closed it up and flopped down on the couch in the living room with a sigh then turned on the TV, the TV had previously been installed in the kitchen which had made it rather cumbersome to watch anything so now having it in the living room was a blessing.

"I wonder if Rock has saved the day again..."

The people of Tokyo had grown used to the reoccurring news of the Blue Bomber saving the day one way or another, so Ice Man flicked through the channels until he ended up on the news channel and his brother had indeed done another heroic act.

This time Mega Man had caught an escaped convict, someone bound for harsh punishments apparently.

The small Light bot flashed a small smile and changed the channels once more until he ended up at a channel that was broadcasting a documentary on the different species of penguins. The arctic Robot Master was deeply fascinated by the creatures so happily watched the documentary.

So graceful and intelligent, he wished he could communicate with them.

Ice Man was brought out of his thoughts of penguins when the documentary went on a commercial break, the Light bot grumbled in annoyance and his green eyes twitched while the usual commercials droned on.

"Stupid commercial break..."

Usually Ice Man would have something to do while the commercials played, like solving some crosswords or talk to someone, otherwise he would sit there like he did now with obvious irritation on his face. If only he had someone to watch TV with, normally he would watch TV with...

The tears welled up before he could even hinder them.

It was usually Cut Man who watched TV with him, he was always good at distracting the smaller Light bot during commercials, watching TV without him around really felt kinda empty. Ice Man hurriedly wiped away his tears, grumbling irritatedly under his shuddering breath.

_"You doing okay bro?"_

Ice Man gave up trying to wipe away his tears and just gazed at the screen of the TV, God he hated having emotions some times.

_"It’s nothing."_

_Ice Man muttered and kept his narrowed gaze fixated forward, he could practically feel his brother’s unconvinced expression looking down at him, he didn’t bat an eyelash when he felt a weight next to him on the couch as Cut Man sat down next to him._

_"You’re not good at hiding what you’re feeling."_

_The forestry Robot Master commented while polishing the cutter that usually was fastened at the top of his head._

_Ice Man grit his teeth at that observation and finally looked at his older brother with a glare, Cut Man just kept polishing his cutter leisurely and didn’t even seem bothered by the apparent anger being sent his way._

_"So what is bothering you?"_

_The older Light bot once more asked after putting his cutter back on the top of his head and finally looking his brother in the eye, his gaze was relaxed but his eyes revealed some concerns. That only made Ice Man's anger rise even further._

_"You just said it yourself, I’m not good at hiding my emotions."_

_Ice Man hissed, he clenched his trembling fists, he needed to control his anger or else risk lashing out at his brother._

_"There seems to be more than just that though, or am I wrong?"_

_This observation caused the smaller Light bot to flinch, he flinched because it was true._

_"...be honest, I’m a crybaby, aren’t I?"_

_Cut Man tapped his chin in thought for a bit, like he was pondering over how to word his response to his brother._

_"Crybaby is not the word I’d use."_

_The forestry Robot Master's response was not what the arctic Robot Master wanted to hear. Ice Man scoffed and crossed his arms, he remained quiet and waited for his older brother to elaborate._

_"It’s true you cry a lot, I guess that’s why you’re angry, but you are naturally sensitive in terms of emotions and towards the emotions of others as well."_

_Cut Man reached out and gently patted Ice Man on the head but his hand was smacked away, clearly the other Light bot was not in the mood for any sort of affection, so the older Light bot resumed talking._

_"I think it’s a good thing though, you can be far more honest with your emotions than I ever could, it’s honestly a trait I admire in you-"_

_It happened quickly, much quicker than Ice Man could register in his mind, one moment both brothers were seated on the couch the next moment Ice Man was standing on the floor glaring down at Cut Man who was sprawled out on the floor cradling his bruised jaw joint._

_Ice Man had punched his brother in the jaw and sent him tumbling down from the couch and colliding with the living room table, the table buckled under the weight of the forestry Robot Master and one of the legs snapped right off._

_"Admire!? You admire that I’m a freaking crybaby!? I hate that I cry whenever something happens and I frankly want to stop doing it! So you can keep your dumb opinions to yourself!!"_

_Ice Man yelled angrily, to his deepest disdain tears were rolling down his red cheeks, his anger had firmly boiled over once he’d heard his brother’s words and now he was lashing out like he’d tried to avoid._

_Cut Man just stared at his younger brother and didn’t say anything to counter the harsh words being hurled straight at him despite the fact that he’d just been trying to help, the smaller Light bot then teleported out of the house leaving a broken table and a hurt brother._

The memory still felt fresh in his mind, like it had just happened despite it having occurred a while back, Ice Man still felt ashamed and guilty over what he’d done that day. Yes he had apologized for it and he had been forgiven without any hurt feelings but he still felt really bad.

Ice Man was actively trying to get a better grasp on his emotions so he hopefully never lashed out like that again.

Green eyes trailed down to the camera he’d put down on the living room table, which he’d helped Roll fix after breaking it in his outburst, the arctic Robot Master sighed and finally managed to dry his tears. He best not waste them on trivial things. Ice Man grabbed the camera and pressed to record.

"Hey bro it’s me again, no you haven’t missed anything important. I’ve already recorded for this day actually but I just...I felt like just talking for a bit, remember that day when I was really upset and ended up decking you in the face? I’m still really sorry about that, I never really gave you an explanation for why I was so upset, did I?"

Maybe it was a bit silly to record everything that happened around him every day but he didn’t care, it was his way to cope.

"I started noticing that I teared up and cried over a lot of things, some things that actually warranted tears but other things that didn’t, and it started to really bother me after a while. I started to think I was a crybaby and well...you know what happened next."

He would keep recording every day until his brother came back, he was doing it for his sake as well, so when Cut Man came back to them he would be able to catch up on things quickly.

_"Talk as much as you need Icey."_

Ice Man recorded for a little bit more while sitting on the couch, it made him feel better but the documentary was all but forgotten in the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I noticed that in both Megamix and Gigamix Ice Man was the one Light bot that cried and teared up the most, guess he’s just a sensitive soul.


	5. Bomb Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes laughter is all one needs to ward off the lingering anger, Bomb Man certainly needed it at least.

To say Bomb Man was angry was an understatement.

He was livid, and he had no idea what to do about it.

The anger had snuck up on him gradually as the days passed by, at first it had been a minor itch of irritation but soon it had become a sizzling mess inside his core that constantly tried to claw it’s way out of him.

The fact that he was not sure why or what he was angry at only made it worse.

"Ugh!!"

Bomb Man chucked a single Hyper Bomb angrily into the crevice he was demolishing, he needed to demolish a few set perimeters so the construction crew could lay the foundation for the new school building - the old one had been destroyed by the Stardroids.

Work had become his one outlet for his anger, because at least then he was applying it to something useful and not taking it out on anyone around him.

"Ya doin okay there?"

The explosive Light bot let out a few heavy breaths then turned around to see a familiar face and owner of that voice with a slight Spanish accent, it was a fellow explosive Robot Master and a friend of his, BBN-002 Blast Man.

The stunt robot was leaning against the rocky wall of the pit they were both in, his red hair blew slightly in the wind and the sun reflected off of his blue armor, on his tan colored face was obvious concern.

"Peachy, you?"

Blast Man shrugged vaguely at his own question being turned against him, he then held up an E-tank while holding one for himself. A clear offer to take a break and chill together, a break did sound very tempting for Bomb Man.

"So how have things been here in Tokyo? Heard the Starjerks messed this place up pretty badly."

The two Robot Masters had climbed out of the pit and were now seated on a few iron girders, Bomb Man snickered lightly at the insulting nickname his friend had given the Stardroids and knew he’d have to remember that one.

"They sure did, it’s taken a while to get this far into reconstruction but we are finishing up more things by the day, the local hospital is up and running, the roads are back in order, the public transport systems came back yesterday and homes are being repaired everywhere."

The Light bot recounted their progress with pride, he had done a lot of demolishing in order to help Guts Man and Concrete Man.

Blast Man clicked his tongue at the impressive feat.

"Spain got off easy in comparison, my padre and hermano were thankfully far away from the danger."

Bomb Man was relieved to hear that the damage was less severe outside of Japan, he’d heard that America and Canada and Russia got hit pretty bad as well but that was about it.

"Good to hear, those Starjerks were merciless...a ton of Robot Masters got trashed pretty good and a handful humans died as well."

Bomb Man had seen the trucks filled with broken robots bound for the scrapyards, many of them were simply too broken to be brought back, a dark voice in his mind always wondered if any of those trucks held his older brother’s old body.

"Heard of that too, how are you copping with things?"

Blast Man did not need to be very specific about what he was asking about since the Light bot could fill in his question without even trying, how was he copping with his brother’s death all those days ago?

"I’m fine."

Bomb Man heard the unconvinced hum coming from his friend but chose to not make a scene about it, he was not in the mood for such a thing. The Light bot flinched slightly at the hand that firmly planted itself on his shoulder.

"That’s bull, now lay it on me and don’t hold back."

The E-tank, now empty, was crushed mercilessly in Bomb Man's quaking hand and he ground his teeth. The anger was creeping up on him again and he had to regain his composure before he could properly express himself.

"There is this anger, and I’m not sure what to do about it or where it’s coming from, I’m just angry and I hate it!"

His voice dripped of uncharacteristic venom and his entire frame trembled like one of his beloved explosives, unlike his beloved explosives that trembled to release their blasts of powerful force he trembled to contain a vicious monster fueled by directionless hatred.

"Are you angry at the Starjerks?"

Blast Man asked carefully, his tone remaining calm and collected.

"Yes? I am but this anger...it’s not directed towards them..."

A confusing statement so Blast Man decided to test the waters with a really touchy question.

"Are you angry at your brother?"

Bomb Man seethed and fixated his burning gaze at a pebble nearby, this question certainly hit him harder than the previous one. Despite this the Light bot spoke with a clear voice in response.

"Never, I’d never be angry at him for his choice."

The stunt Robot Master hummed at the somewhat expected answer and looked down at his half empty E-tank in thought, could it be...?

"Are you angry at yourself?"

Bomb Man didn’t respond right away, deep in thought, this vicious anger...it did seem to be directed at himself but why?

Because he had not done anything.

"When those Starjerks attacked...I was barely able to do anything to them, I was stuck on the sidelines while my brothers fought themselves ragged, Rock almost died then Cut died and I was so useless!"

Hot tears slowly dribbled down Bomb Man's yellow cheeks and he finally looked his friend in the eyes, Blast Man gave him a sympathetic look and let him cry for a little bit until the explosive Robot Master composed himself.

"I know how you feel, though my hermano didn’t die it sure felt that way when he caught Wily’s roboenza, I couldn’t do anything to ease his pain and my padre worried himself into exhaustion."

Bomb Man listened to his friend’s words and could vividly recall the terror that was roboenza, poor Roll had been afflicted and even Rock.

"I do remember Rock telling me about this certain stunt Robot Master that had gone ballistic with his bombs while trying to find a cure for his brother."

The barest hint of a smirk appeared on Bomb Man’s face and Blast Man laughed heartily at the reminder of what he’d done, the Blue Bomber certainly had suffered a scare at Blast Man's hands.

"You should’ve seen Wily's face, priceless, he was quaking in his boots! Thankfully my hermano was cured, who knows what I would’ve done if he had died. No doubt given Wily an early retirement!"

Both Robot Masters laughed at this, the Light bot felt a bit lighter after getting to laugh over something, when had been the last time Bomb Man laughed?

Oh...that’s right, it was back then...

_"Oh God...do that again!"_

_Bomb Man wheezed through his unending snickers, Cut Man was in no better state himself as he too snickered while he rested his hands on his knee joints._

_"Okay okay, ahem...curse you Mega Man!"_

_Cut Man straightened his back and shook his fist in the air with a look of mock anger on his orange face, his voice and impression was a clear mockery of a certain Dr Wily._

_"You’ve beaten my hundredth predictable scheme and taken down another set of Robot Masters that I’d of course stolen because heaven knows I don’t have any original brain cells in my mushy brain!"_

_The forestry Robot Master mocked on and didn’t hide the humor he found in this very well, his mocking impression sometimes broke due to him stifling his laughter._

_"Now I shall return to my retirement home and eat some very evil applesauce!"_

_Bomb Man finally fell over onto the grass in the backyard of their home, his round body bobbed with every jerking motion he did as he wheezed, Cut Man let his laughter loose as well though he calmly sat down cross legged on the grass and rested his chin on his hands._

_"You should smack Wily with that one next time we see him! Oh he’d blow a fuse!"_

_The older Light bot nodded in agreement and Bomb Man finally hauled himself into a sitting position as well, the explosive Robot Master was still snickering a little however his sense of humor was rather simple._

_"He probably would, hope he shows up soon just for that reaction alone."_

_The morning was peaceful around them, the sky was blue with a few passing clouds and some bird chatter, the breeze was mild and pleasant. Both brothers remained in silence after that, simply enjoying the peace._

_**"Pardon me, is either of you called...Mega Man?"** _

_Their peace was disturbed by a voice from above them, both brothers looked up to see a robot hovering in the air with a dangerous glint in his white irises on his black eyes and a predatory smile splayed on his face while his long green hair blew gently in the wind._

_**"I’m Terra, leader of the Stardroids, and I am here to avenge my fallen master: Ra Moon."** _

Bomb Man shuddered at the memory, their peaceful morning filled laughter at Dr Wily’s expense had been shattered by the arrival of those accursed Starjerks, that had been the last time he’d laughed with his older brother.

"I miss his vibrant energy the most, his jokes were lame and his puns even worse but they always made me chuckle at the very least, home doesn’t feel the same without his energy around."

The Light bot sighed and jumped down from his seat on the iron girders, he’d best get back to work now or else Guts Man might chew him out if he had the energy for it.

"Did our talk help?"

Blast Man asked after downing the rest of his E-tank, Bomb Man thought to himself quietly for a bit then flashed a smirk and a thumbs up towards his taller friend. Yes, it had helped.

"I’ll see you around Blast, say hi to your dad and bro from me."

Bomb Man returned to his pit and resumed chucking his Hyper Bombs but this time he was more relaxed, his work was not fueled by anger this time. Just getting to laugh at something again had brought some of his old self back.

_"Your laugh is always a blast to hear Bombs!"_

For the first time in almost four weeks, Bomb Man felt relaxed and light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blast Man cameo! Remember him and his family for later, they’ll get their own spotlight soon enough. Bomb Man's flashback of Cut Man will be important for a later story so keep that one in mind as well.
> 
> And yes, Starjerks is a very appropriate nickname for the Stardroids.


	6. Elec Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the dark of the night Elec Man can’t sleep, in a room meant for two only one sleeps, his thoughts brew like a thunderstorm.

Elec Man couldn’t sleep, so many thoughts whirled inside his mind all at once so how could he?

He laid in his bed quietly, blue eyes fixated on the ceiling, his gaze was distant and troubled like a brewing thunderstorm. Usually he would have someone to talk to about his troubles and bothersome thoughts but his usual confidants were not available at the moment.

Tornado Man was sleeping like a baby at this late hour, his father equally so, Rush was no better and...

A lingering glance was shot towards the empty bed on the opposite side of his room, it was neatly made like it had always been this past month since Light Labs was rebuilt and Roll had taken up her duties of housekeeping once more, Elec Man felt sick and quickly looked back up into the ceiling once more.

Before the Stardroids had destroyed their home, Elec Man had shared his room with Cut Man and seeing what was essentially his side of the room untouched like it was now was...disturbing.

"To hell with this..."

His tone was bitter as he mumbled under his breath, he needed to get outside and collect his thoughts in a setting where he could pace back and forth without distributing the sleep of his family. Carefully the electrical Robot Master crawled out of his bed, flinching each time the construct creaked.

The sigh of relief he let out once he got out of bed fully was a deep one since he’d feared waking the entire house due the noise. Now all that was left for him was to get out of his room and out of the house.

Thankfully Elec Man was properly equipped to handle working in dark power plants and during blackouts so naturally the lightning bolt shaped horn on his forehead lit up in the dark like a personal nightlight, it was a practical feature however it also served as a source for some rather lewd teasing in his work place...

Using the light emanating from his horn Elec Man left his room behind him and carefully made his way down the stairs to the ground floor of his home, it was dark and silent save for the sounds of Rush snoring on the couch.

The Light bot had to resist his urge to pet the robot canine lest he risked getting discovered.

Elec Man's tense body relaxed once the front door automatically locked behind him with a quick blip, he was now in the clear.

A rumbling overhead made the Light bot glance up towards the night sky to see the storm clouds gathering, his own element greeted him with a vicious thunderclap and he smiled as the lightning coursed through the air around him like a blanket.

"Thank you."

He doubted the weather could hear him nor even cared but he still wished to express his gratitudefor the comfort it brought, Elec Man admired the storm for a bit longer then contently walked away from his home.

The electrical Robot Master found himself sitting on a recently polished park bench in the small park situated in his neighborhood, it was completely abandoned at this time of night and that suited Elec Man just fine.

Now that he could think in peace his mind drifted off towards sensitive thoughts.

Said thoughts being his older brother, the one that should’ve been sleeping like a brick in his bed in their shared room making soft noises in his sleep - not laying almost fully rebuilt in their father’s lab lifeless - Elec Man's fists clenched tightly and he grit his teeth.

Yes...his older brother should be back home and back in their lives, alive and well, like he’d never even left them in the first place. Better yet, he shouldn’t even have died.

Cut Man wouldn’t have died if Elec Man had been more observant, as the self appointed leader of his group of brothers he should’ve noticed something was off about his older brother that day.

He should’ve noticed!

_Elec Man sat alone on the bench outside of the repair bay, back hunched and face in his hands. Inside the room Rock was fighting for his life while Dr Light and Dr Wily did all they could to help him in said fight, the Blue Bomber was in there because of those damn Stardroids!_

_"Hey...Sparky."_

_A hand coated in leather softly placed itself on his trembling shoulder and a familiar voice spoke soothingly into his audio receptors, Elec Man barely acknowledged Cut Man when he’d appeared and barely even when the older Light bot sat down on the bench next to him._

_"There was nothing you could’ve done..."_

_If Cut Man was trying to comfort the electrical Robot Master then he was doing a poor job at it but Elec Man knew that emotional speeches were not his brother’s strongest suit, that trait was far stronger in Rock._

_"I know and that makes me even more mad."_

_The taller Light bot sighed irritatedly and pushed himself back into the wall, his hands fell on his knees and his fingers began tapping worriedly. Briefly the two brothers locked eyes and both saw that same worry reflected in the other however Elec Man noticed a few flashes of pain in Cut Man’s eyes._

_He’d chalked that observation up to emotional pain of some kind at the time, careless and foolish in hindsight._

_"These Stardroids are beyond this world, both literally and figuratively, it’s a miracle Rock was able to return to us in one piece."_

_Elec Man couldn’t help but scoff at his brother’s words, a miracle? It all depended on the perspective, and from Elec Man's perspective it would be a miracle if Rock survived this ordeal._

_"I hate sitting around here and being able to do nothing! I want to help Rock! I want to punch any of those Stardroid bastards right in the face! I want to do something!"_

_The tone of voice Elec Man used made Cut Man flinch, his voice was harsh and scathing while stray electricity sparked at the tips of his fingers. The younger Light bot was truly enraged by everything that had happened leading up to this moment._

_First those Stardroids showed up and attacked their home then they began running rampant around the whole planet then the leader Terra lured Rock into a fight through cheap tactics and then to make things even better Light Labs was blown to pieces._

_"Getting angry about it won’t change anything and sitting here won’t change anything either! Go and see if anyone needs help, make yourself useful, it might help with a distraction or two."_

_Cut Man's voice sounded a bit strangled but Elec Man paid it no mind like he would’ve normally done had he not been as emotionally charged as he currently was._

_Elec Man clenched his fists and sparks flew everywhere, his emotions had reached their limit and now there was little he could do but release them. The electrical Robot Master stood up in a flash and threw his Thunder Beam straight at the nearest wall, he breathed heavily through gritted teeth._

_Cut Man rolled his eyes and shook his head after letting out a deep sigh, Elec Man always got like this when his emotions overcharged him on negative energy._

_"Sparky, breathe, look at me and breathe."_

_The taller Light bot trembled and slowly looked to his older brother, breathing in a hectic manner despite trying to regain his calm composure, two pairs of blue eyes clashed._

_"I...he might not make it....if he dies then I...I..."_

_Elec Man's optics blurred and he hiccuped pathetically, quickly he averted his tearful eyes and covered his face with a trembling hand in order to retain some shred of dignity. For a little while he sobbed quietly to himself until a arm wrapped around his waist._

_"I know Sparky, I know. I too wish there was any way to help Rock but all we can do is wait in hope."_

_Cut Man leaned into the sideways one armed hug he was giving to his much taller brother, Elec Man just sniffed in response and like that they stayed for a while. It was only after the tears subsided that the electrical Robot Master regained some semblance of composure._

_"I’m sorry...I lost myself there..."_

_The older Light bot just shook his head with a strained smile on his face and slowly broke the hug with his brother, the taller of the two finally decided to take his brother’s advice and walked away from the door of the repair bay._

_Elec Man glanced over his shoulder to see Cut Man standing there in the hallway in his lonesome, the forestry Robot Master held a pained but forlorn gaze towards the repair bay door, a hand resting over his chest panel._

_The younger Light bot briefly considered asking his brother if he was okay but refrained, Cut Man probably just needed some space besides Elec Man could always ask him later._

_So Elec Man left the hallway and his older brother behind him without any more thought, that was the last time he saw Cut Man alive._

"I should’ve noticed something was wrong..."

Elec Man hissed to himself as another thunderclap rocked the sky, it was obvious something was wrong with Cut Man back then at that moment but he’d been too absorbed with his own feelings to notice at the time. How foolish!

His brother had been declared dead an hour after the last time Elec Man had seen him.

Some leader he turned out to be.

There was little that could be done now though and he knew this fact well, Elec Man would get his chance to apologize for neglecting to ask Cut Man about his wellbeing at that time when his new body was finished and his cognitive circuit was safely installed, until that day came he’d have to focus on getting himself under control.

He shouldn’t let emotions cloud his observation skills like that again, he couldn’t allow it to, otherwise he might lose another one of his family members under his watch.

"I best get back home...wallowing in my own shortcomings outside in the park at night won’t solve anything."

He’d made a promise to himself, he would be more observant and alert when it came to his family, he wouldn’t fail as a leader nor as a protector again.

_"You couldn’t have known Sparky, you couldn’t have possibly known..."_

As the leader it was Elec Man’s job to protect and look out for his family, letting his own emotions get in the way of that job was unacceptable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Elec Man, poor guy feels responsible for something that was out of his control, maybe once Cut Man comes back he might learn to forgive himself?
> 
> Elec Man’s flashback of Cut Man takes place during the same day as Bomb Man's, however this one is much later that day.


	7. Roll Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roll kept a warm and optimistic smile on her face while she worked, though she did gaze at the backyard with longing.

Another day was upon the Light house and Roll was already hard at work.

"Dad! It’s time for your morning jog!"

Roll knocked on the door of her father’s lab while holding both a vacuum and other cleaning supplies in her arms, the helper robot always took the opportunity to clean the lab when her father was out on his morning jog.

"Ah! Thank you Roll, I’d almost forgotten."

Dr Light's voice was muffled through the door but Roll could hear the happy jingles in his tone, it delighted her a lot to see her dear father returning to his happier self once more.

Dr Light stepped out of the lab with a soft smile on his face and affectionately patted his oldest daughter on the head which earned him a soft giggle from Roll, the scientist bid his darling girl a good morning then left for his room in order to change out of his lab coat and into his jogging clothes.

"Right then! Time to tackle this beast, but I might need an assistant! Rush!"

At Roll's loud call the robotic canine barked eagerly and bounded towards her with a wagging tail.

"Alright boy, you ready?"

Rush straightened his back and nodded with a serious expression on his face, cleaning the lab was very serious business.

The dynamic duo entered the lab and began cleaning it together, no dust was left in even the smallest of corners, Roll cleaned the tools thoroughly while Rush gathered up any stray materials that might’ve fallen on the floor.

Rush was sniffing around on the recently vacuumed floor when his head bumped into one of the lab tables, the dog whimpered briefly before shaking his head and curiously gazed up at the table. Rush saw that the table was covered by a white cloth and his curiosity was decidedly piqued so quite easily the robotic canine pulled the fabric away.

On the lab table laid Cut Man, fully assembled but not yet alive.

Rush gasped then whined, he jumped up onto his hind legs and rested his paws on the table then nudged his snout against his friend’s lifeless hand, he missed the way the orange Robot Master used to pet him.

"He will be back soon, dad is getting things set up for installing his cognitive circuit."

Rush flicked his ear and whined again when Roll gently stroke his head, she smiled warmly down at her dog then quietly scooped up the white cloth and covered up her brother’s body once more.

"Well I think we did a great job in here, thanks for your help."

Rush wagged his tail at the praise then bounded away energetically leaving Roll to close up the lab, Roll grabbed her cleaning supplies and went upstairs to clean the bedrooms.

That was a monumental task all on its own.

First she cleaned Dr Light's room which was the most organized room out of all the bedrooms, her dad mostly kept books and clothes in here so it was very easy on Roll.

Next she did a quick clean of the room shared by Rock and Jewel Man, quite an odd duo to share a room but somehow it worked, there wasn’t much for Roll to do since both of her brothers took care to clean up after themselves.

Oil Man's and Time Man's room was quite the opposite, Oil Man often spilled paint on the floor whenever he was in the 'artistic vibe' as he said and Time Man too more often than not had papers scattered all over his bed, Roll muttered annoyed under her breath while she scrubbed dried paint off of the floor.

Plug Man's and Hornet Man's room was the bane of Roll's entire existence and haunted her nightmares, Plug Man had quite the problem when it came to keeping his collector tendencies at bay while Hornet Man had way too many plants on his side of the room, Roll may or may not have slammed the door behind her a little too hard when she’d finished the cleaning in their room.

Fire Man's and Magma Man's room was in contrast to the previous room rather sparsely furnished, Fire Man had his beloved posters of crime fighters while Magma Man had his stamp collection but that was about it for their personal belongings, Roll hummed to herself when she left their room.

Ice Man's and Galaxy Man's room was never really too dirty save for wet spots on the floor whenever Ice Man was working on his ice sculptures, Roll peeked into the freeze box where her brother stored his sculptures and saw a star shaped one this time, Roll wondered who that sculpture was for when she left.

Bomb Man's and Tornado Man's room was quite different depending on which side you looked at, Bomb Man’s side of the room almost always had materials and notes for different explosives scattered about while Tornado Man's side was neatly organized to fit his desire for order, Roll always wondered why they had ended up rooming together.

Guts Man's and Concrete Man's room was definitely filled with personality, Guts Man had his entire music collection on proud display while Concrete Man had his beloved ceramics, Roll always treaded carefully when she was in their room or else she might risk breaking something dear.

Cut Man's and Elec Man’s room was rather empty at the moment since the former had not yet moved back in while the latter kept most of his possessions locked away in boxes, Roll had this feeling of incompletion when she left their room.

The last room she cleaned was the one she shared with Splash Woman, her sister’s belongings were neatly resting in their proper places so Roll only did a quick sweep of the room to make sure there was no dust gathering anywhere, Roll of course couldn’t help but check on her hidden stash of combat and martial arts videos and books though thankfully nothing was out of place and she left feeling content.

It was a rough job but she did it every day.

"Now it’s the backyard..."

When Roll stepped out into the backyard of her home she couldn’t help but frown at the lackluster state it was in, sure she was a robot built for housekeeping but the backyard had not been her forte, it used to look so nice before the Stardroids attack but now it was just grass and hedges growing back.

She knew her brother would flip once he saw the sad state of all his hard work.

_Roll had just been out grocery shopping when she entered the backyard of her home, the big oak tree in the corner of the backyard stood proudly while the green leaves and strong branches carefully protected a treehouse that was rarely used, the hedges carefully trimmed into identical rows while there were patches of different flowers growing along the hedges._

_In her hand she held a few packets of seeds for different flowers and plants, Cut Man had asked her to find some summer seeds to replace the spring seeds that would soon reach the end of their season._

_"You found some?"_

_Roll looked to her right to see her brother tending to one of the flower patches, beside him was a bag filled with weeds and dead flowers._

_"I found a bunch here, you think they will be enough?"_

_Roll handed the packets over to Cut Man who studied them for a bit before nodding happily, the patch he was working on was half empty of flowers now that most of them were dying._

_"These will look great in the garden after they bloom and mature during summer."_

_Roll hummed in agreement and gazed out at the other flower patches to see they all had many dead flowers in their midsts, she always found it sad whenever the flowers died at the end of their season but knew the new ones that would soon be planted would take their place nicely._

_"Hey...Cut? Do you know about the language of flowers?"_

_Cut Man looked up from his work then thought for a while before nodding, Roll grew delighted at this._

_"I think it’s rather romantic, conveying your feelings to another through beautiful blossoms."_

_The forestry Robot Master rolled his eyes fondly and chuckled at his sister’s talk, Roll seemed quite invested in romance as a whole though she seemed quite blind towards the love a certain Robot Master they knew dearly harbored towards her._

_"Well...it doesn’t have to be about romance strictly, for example from these seed packets here the flowers I would pick specifically for you would be these."_

_Cut Man handed Roll three flower packets and she looked down at them in some confusion then looked back at her brother for some clarification, her brother snickered then pointed towards each of the packets one by one._

_"Sunflowers, because our entire family adores you and for the loyalty you have towards your loved ones and because I hope you have a long life."_

_Roll blushed slightly at these words, so much meaning packed into one flower but it was very endearing._

_"Hydrangea, because I think I speak for everyone when I apologize for causing you so much trouble and also the gratitude we all hold towards you for always supporting us."_

_Roll snorted a little, her family did cause her some trouble when they created messes for her to clean but she wouldn’t trade it for anything._

_"And lastly lavender, because we will always be faithful towards you like you are to us."_

_Roll smiled from ear to ear and hugged her brother tightly, her brother was not the best at emotional talks but he did have his moments._

_Cut Man hugged back in a flustered manner while the packets laid scattered around them both._

Those flowers had looked so pretty when they had bloomed that summer, the meaning behind them made Roll love them even more after that but carnations still remained her favorite.

She missed the way the backyard used to look and even more she missed helping her brother with the garden, so full of life and meaning, sure she could do it herself but she lacked that certain touch that her brother had possessed so she refrained.

_"I miss the garden too sis..."_

Her job, though hard and constant, was housekeeping and she would stick to that.

Roll hoped that soon she could walk out into the backyard and see Cut Man tending to the garden again, the mere thought of it made her smile happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The flower meanings might not be accurate because I just looked it up on the internet but I hope you all agree with the ones I picked for Roll.
> 
> Roll is a hard worker and her family does appreciate everything she does for them, quite a ray of sunshine she is.


	8. Rock Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What has become of the Blue Bomber?

The sunset draping itself across the sky in all of its cascading colors was a beautiful sight to behold from where Mega Man sat, the Blue Bomber sat perched far up in a tall tree and kept a firm but troubled gaze over the city he protected, Tokyo was preparing to celebrate the completion of the citywide reconstruction.

Both human and robot alike deserved to be celebrated for their hard work.

Mega Man should feel happy about this, the reconstruction had brought the whole city together and prejudice against robots had decreased, however he wasn’t.

"Why...?"

The robotic hero furrowed his brow in concern, was something wrong with him? As a champion for everlasting peace this sort of growing unity should warm his core but it didn’t.

_"You always try to carry the burden alone, don’t, please let us help you."_

_Rock stared down at his hands with a frown, the leather covered hand rested on his shoulder like a heavy but comforting weight. The sunset in the distance cast its long shadows across his face._

_"I know but...I don’t want any of you to get hurt."_

_Rock looked up from his hands and gazed into his brother’s blue eyes, Cut Man blended in so well with the setting sun, the forestry Robot Master gave a halfhearted glare at that argument._

_**"Hurt? That’s rich coming from a murderer like you."** _

_**Rock flinched at the harsh words that felt like a slap across his face, Cut Man’s grip went from comforting to harsh and his fingers dug into the Blue Bomber's shoulder sharply like blades.** _

_**The wicked grin on Cut Man’s face was haunting.** _

_**"It’s your fault."** _

_**Suddenly he was falling, had he been pushed? The strong branch they’d been sitting on grew ever more distant but the words grew louder in Rock's audio receptors and he screamed as he kept falling.** _

_**Falling.** _

_**Falling.** _

_**Falling.** _

*thud!*

Mega Man gasped in shock as his back hit the grassy ground, he landed with a loud thud and his pain receptors registered minor damage in his spine, when had he fallen from the tree? And that memory...that’s not how he remembered it actually went.

But those words and that grin...the Blue Bomber felt sick.

"I should head home...don’t want to worry dad."

Mega Man switched back to his Rock form and decided to teleport home instead of walking, he didn’t feel like taking the scenic route home this time. Rock felt a bit guilty at the thought of his dear father, Rock was not often home these days with the reasoning often being Mega Man business but it was nothing but an excuse.

He was avoiding home as much as possible.

When the exterior of his home came into view Rock shivered, why did he always feel this way whenever he returned home? Was he afraid of his own home?!

"Rock! You’re just in time for dinner!"

Roll’s happy voice penetrated his distressed thoughts and Rock turned his gaze away from the house to see his sister’s beaming face from around the corner leading into the backyard, the warmth she radiated eased him a little and he waved a light greeting.

"It’s so rare to have you around for dinner these days."

Rock chuckled apologetically as he rounded the house corner together with Roll, her blonde hair slightly curled no doubt Splash Woman had something to do with that.

Walking next to his sister was nice, it was calming, no distressing thoughts could reach him when she was near him.

_"Are you sure you don’t want my help?"_

_Mega Man grumbled in frustration while he walked around picking up all the Rolling Cutters he’d thrown in failed attempts to hit the target he’d set up for himself, it was simply their old outdoor table with a white target painted onto it._

_But somehow he kept missing and it was starting to get on his nerves._

_"No."_

_Cut Man snickered at his brother’s stubbornness from where he sat on the back porch while lightly sipping an E-tank, he probably shouldn’t laugh at his brother’s despair like this but he couldn’t help it._

_**"I find it rather humorous that you can’t hit a damn stationary table but have no trouble moving down any robot that might cross your path."** _

_**Mega Man was shocked by the statement and looked to his brother only to see that wicked grin again though he saw the other point to his hands with a sickening snicker.** _

_**When Mega Man looked down at his hands all he saw was oil, the blood of robots, dripping down from his hands without end.** _

_**"Murderer."** _

"Rock?"

The robotic hero flinched and felt his hands tremble, the rhythm of his core increased in response to his sudden fright and his face was pale, Roll's voice was laced with deep concern and her face reflected as such when Rock forced himself to look her in the eye.

"Are you okay?"

Was he? He didn’t know anymore.

"Yes I...just a lot on my mind is all."

What a pathetic answer to give his dearest twin sister, Roll took one of his trembling hands into her own and gave it a soft squeeze then a reassuring smile.

Sweet Roll, he didn’t deserve her kindness.

"A good meal will cheer you up."

Perhaps it would but Rock was not so sure about that, despite his misgivings they entered their home and were both greeted by their siblings who all shared Roll's relief upon having Rock join them for dinner.

They were talking but Rock couldn’t really register what they were saying to him, it was all a buzzing static in his audio receptors, he felt sick again and cold shivers ran through his body.

Why did he feel like such an outsider amongst his own family?

The sick feeling didn’t leave even as they all sat down to eat, the dining area was filled with lively chatter and the occasional antics amongst the Light family, Rock drank his flavored E-tank quietly and listened to his family talking.

He flinched when he felt that familiar leather covered hand grip his shoulder, those familiar fingers digging into his shoulder, and Cut Man's wicked voice whispered into his audio receptor, the tone was taunting and humored.

"I saw these really pretty looking jellyfish today."

_**"Are you proud of yourself?"** _

"Really? I’m so jealous, the ocean is far more exciting than space."

_**"You claim to be a hero but that’s just a lie."** _

"Anything is more exciting than space, there’s no fun spots to hang out on."

_**"You’re a fraud Mega Man, a dirty little fraud."** _

"I disagree! The stars are one of the most beautiful things out there! They sparkle like little gems in the sky~"

_**"Everlasting peace? What a joke, you thrive on violence."** _

"I dunno about gems and that other stuff but I'm happy as long as I have my flowers and my little friends."

_**"You secretly enjoy it, don’t you?"** _

"I’d be happy being surrounded by penguins!"

_**"All these wars and conflicts...they’ve given you fame and recognition."** _

"Of course you would little pal."

_**"You’re now so much more than just Rock, the innocent helper robot, now you are Mega Man the walking symbol of war."** _

"Speaking of, Kalinka is going to get her drivers license soon."

_**"Remember my last words to you? 'I believe in you, always', I guess my trust was misplaced..."** _

"SHUT UP!!"

Rock screamed as loud as his voice box would allow and stood up so fast his chair clattered to the floor loudly, around him there was a hush and many pairs of eyes stared at him in pure shock while some held fearful confusion.

_**"Oh look, you are scaring them."** _

Rock switched back into his Mega Man form and trained his charged buster on Cut Man, the specter just laughed mockingly with that wicked grin of his never faltering.

"Son...what’s wrong?"

Dr Light's warm hand gently fell onto Mega Man's tense shoulder, his gaze held so much worry it was almost tangible, his son had a wild look of rage burning in his blue eyes and it was horrid to see.

"He won’t stop talking!"

Mega Man's buster trembled and his breath hitched, couldn’t his father see Cut Man standing right there?!

_**"He probably thinks you’re crazy now, dangerous even."** _

Dr Light followed his son's gaze and saw nothing but air, this was very alarming, was Mega Man experiencing a glitch?

"Son, lets go to the lab."

Mega Man slowly lowered his buster and allowed his father to guide him out of the kitchen leaving the rest of their family behind to worry and fear for their Blue Bomber, the specter's mocking laughter echoed no matter how far away Mega Man got.

Once father and son entered the lab the door was firmly locked and Mega Man switched back into his Rock form, the air was tense and both parties fidgeted anxiously while trying to gather themselves for the inevitable talk.

"Son, how have you been lately? You rarely show up at home and spend most of your days as Mega Man, I’m worried that you are wearing yourself down."

Rock felt so guilty when he heard the sadness and fear laced into his father’s worry filled words, he twiddled his fingers and kept his gaze firmly averted.

"I...I can’t bear to be home, when I’m Mega Man I’m safe and away from him..."

Dr Light stroked his beard at the vague and trembling response his son gave, was this unknown being the same one Rock was just trying to shot in the kitchen?

"He started showing up a month ago and all he does is taunt me and throw these harsh words at me, he looks and sounds exactly like Cut."

Rock could remember how scared he’d been when he’d first seen the wicked specter of his brother and the barrage of harsh insults began.

"He...does he only show up here when you’re home?"

All Dr Light got in response was a weak nod.

"And when you’re away from home? Does anything happen then?"

Rock was quiet for a bit then responded in a hushed voice.

"I get these memory flashes but they...they are twisted and wrong, it’s like my happy memories with Cut are tormenting me every time I stop to rest."

Gently Dr Light pulled his son into a warm hug, he wrapped his arms around his trembling frame and put a soothing hand on his head. Rock melted into the embrace and let his arms encircle his father.

"It’s like only I can see and hear him, he’s haunting me dad..."

Tears prickled Rock's blue optics and his breath shuddered as the emotional pain he’d been harboring finally began pouring out.

"Son, I’m probably not the type of doctor that can help you fully understand what you’re experiencing and give you the right type of guidance but I do have a few contacts I’m willing to contact if you want me to."

The offer was met with silence for a while, Rock buried his face in his father’s shoulder and took rhythmic breaths into the fabric of his lab coat. Like that they stayed for a bit, quietly holding each other.

"I’ll think about it, thanks dad..."

Dr Light stroked his son's synthetic hair lovingly and hummed, anything for his children.

"I’m sorry for not offering this sort of help much earlier, can you ever forgive me for failing you like this?"

Rock quickly shook his head and broke their hug partially so he could look his father in the eye, the robotic hero's eyes held no hatred or accusations.

"You haven’t failed me, I didn’t think it was possible for robots like me to develop mental problems either so we were both caught off guard by this."

Dr Light smiled warmly at his son’s reassuring words and once more stroked the top of his head, all Rock needed was a shoulder to lean on for him to start opening up - father and son shared the unfortunate trait of bottling up what was bothering them.

"I was planning to start the installation process for Cut Man’s cognitive circuit tonight but in light of all of this maybe I should postpone it until you’re more comfortable?"

Rock gasped at the offer and frowned, his blue eyes drifted away from his father and landed on the still form laying on the lab table.

There Cut Man laid, his chest panel was open and wires were plugged into various places, if it wasn’t for the neutral look on his face one could almost mistake him for sleeping peacefully. Rock gently broke from his father’s hold and quietly approached his brother’s lifeless body, a few shivers shook his body but he pushed on, the robotic hero stopped by the edge of the lab table and hesitantly Rock let his left hand take a hold of his brother’s right hand.

Those familiar leather covered fingers limply intertwined with his trembling ones, phantom pains of those same fingers digging into his shoulder forced Rock to steady himself, Rock closed his eyes briefly and inhaled then exhaled calmly.

"Don’t postpone it."

Dr Light smiled and without word walked over to his computer then tapped a few keys, a few inputs later and the installation bar showed up on the screen.

"There, tomorrow he’ll be back with us."

Slowly and reluctantly Rock let his hand slip out of his brother’s before he rejoined his father, father and son shared one last hug then they left the lab together feeling much better than when they’d entered.

_"I’ll see you all tomorrow then."_

Slowly the installation process began in the quiet lab, whatever happened the next morning the Light family now knew their healing was far from over but now they would be whole once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Rock, he’s not been doing so well but at least there is help available for him should he take it.
> 
> But wait! This should be the last chapter, right!? Well, surprise! There is going to be a final 9th chapter to this story, there is one more person we need to check in on before this story is wrapped up. Can any of you guess who it is?


	9. Cut Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They couldn’t see him or feel him but he’d always been there, now it was finally time for him to return home...right?

The door to the lab closed behind Rock and Dr Light as they left together, the talk they’d just had brought up many raw emotions but helped in starting Rock's own journey of healing himself. All was silent for a little while...

_"I’ll see you tomorrow then."_

The voice was but a whisper, another being was there but he was invisible to the eye, yet it sounded with such longing and hope. He sat in his father’s desk chair, one leg resting over the other while his leather covered fingers quietly drummed on the armrests, his white and orange colored image would be called faded if he could actually be seen.

Cut Man hummed to himself as he glanced at his new body with a half lidded eye, he could already feel a slight tug towards it despite the installation process having only just begun. He couldn’t wait until tomorrow morning when he would be able to talk to his family again, to be able start rebuilding his garden, to be able to pet and play with Rush again.

The waiting was now more unbearable than ever.

_"What should I do first? Hmmm....I know! I’ll surprise everyone with breakfast when I wake up tomorrow."_

The forestry Robot Master spoke to himself out loud like he’d been doing ever since he woke up to his current state of being. It got awfully lonely sometimes.

Slowly he rose out of his father’s chair and left the lab, being a ghost and all he simply phased through the metal door like it was nothing to him. He wanted to check on his family one last time before he slipped into his new body.

He’d been watching them this past month but it still meant a lot to him.

Cut Man chuckled to himself, he could almost picture the stunned look on all of their faces when he told them about his temporary existence as a ghost - especially the biggest skeptics of all like his brother Time Man.

The events of the day had tired everyone out so many chose to head to bed early, Cut Man first went to check on his father.

_"I’ve missed talking to you dad."_

Dr Light was resting in bed with his tablet, the Light bot could hear the voice of Dr Noelle LaLinde coming from the tablet. They both seemed to be having a happy discussion over a new addition to Dr LaLinde's family, a new robot daughter from what Cut Man could hear, he left feeling rather content.

_"I hope we’ll still be able to get along despite everything that happened."_

It relieved him a lot to see Rock confiding a bit in Jewel Man in their shared room, the forestry Robot Master felt a bit guilty over aiding in his older brother’s suffering. Cut Man would definitely apologize to Rock once morning came.

_"Aren’t you two adorable?"_

Ice Man and Galaxy Man were already asleep when Cut Man peeked inside so he patted them both on the head before he left with a delighted hum.

_"Ugh, you two fight like an old married couple."_

The Light bot rolled his eyes in exasperation upon the familiar sight of Time Man and Oil Man squabbling like little children, didn’t they ever tire of arguing? Cut Man sighed and left them to their bickering, once he returned he would give them a stern talking to.

_"I’ll let you both have some peace for now, but once you let your guard down I’ll unleash all the jokes and puns I’ve saved up this month! You both better be prepared!"_

Cut Man bobbed his head slightly to the beat when he came to check up on Guts Man and Concrete Man, the former was listen to some soft jazz track while the later was painting some his ceramics, quite the peaceful setting. The Light bot was happy to see Guts Man was seemingly back to his old self again.

_"I need to thank you two tomorrow, you stepped up when our family needed you the most, I’m so happy."_

Fire Man and Magma Man were also asleep when Cut Man came in to check on them, from what he’d observed this past month they’d both bounced back from their shared loss pretty well, he was very proud of them both.

_"You two haven’t changed a bit."_

It was a rather intense discussion between Bomb Man and Tornado Man that Cut Man walked in on, something about how aerodynamic bombs were, he shook his head fondly and left them to their talk.

_"Maybe Rock should bring you two along on his therapy, you two definitely need help reigning this in."_

Cut Man's face couldn’t be buried any further in the palm of his hand even if he tried, Plug Man and Hornet Man still hadn’t tackled their shared hoarding problems. The Light bot could only think of poor Roll, who had to clean this mess daily, as he left.

_"I promise the garden will look even better than before for my two dearest sisters."_

Speaking of Roll, Cut Man walked in on her helped Splash Woman put her luscious locks of foamy white hair into sea blue curlers while both sisters happily chattered away. It was uplifting to hear them both laugh.

_"...you and I need to have a serious heart to heart after all this."_

It was a dreary sight to walk into his own room and yet again see his side of the room so barren, it was unsettling, but the dreariest sight was Elec Man once more struggling to sleep in his own bed. Cut Man gently rested his hand on his brother’s head, he deeply wished the other could feel his presence somehow but...he’d make up for it tomorrow morning.

The forestry Robot Master felt a bit more at ease now that he’d seen his family.

Cut Man hummed to himself while he made his way downstairs, being a ghost was both fun and terrifying but now he was more than ready to return to normal. The Light bot entered the lab once more and smiled broadly, the tug towards his new body was even stronger than before, gently he rested his ghostly hand on the limp hand of his new body and closed his eyes.

_"I’m finally coming home..."_

The night passed in silence after that, the Light family slept as peacefully as they could until the light of the brand new day was upon them. The first to wake that morning was Dr Light himself, the aged scientist was roused from his sleep by loud clutter sounding in his home.

Dr Light thought this strange since it was at least an hour before his children would wake, he heard no barks or hisses so it could not be the robotic animals either and Auto was staying overnight at the repair shop, so who...?

"Could it be...?"

Feelings of hope sparked in his chest as Dr Light left his room and descended downstairs into his lab to find the room empty, no sign of his son on the repair table, the loud sound came again but this time the scientist could tell where it was coming from - the kitchen.

"Son?"

Dr Light called out hopefully as he made his way over to the kitchen, the sounds became more distinguishable the closer he could and he could definitely make out a familiar voice muttering quietly to himself.

When Dr Light fully entered the kitchen he came upon a messy scene, the cupboards were all opened and the table was covered clean dishes stacked neatly while all the chairs had been pushed around haphazardly around the dinner table. The object of his undivided attention however stood by the opened fridge and was scanning the contents inside.

It was Cut Man, very much alive once more.

"Son..."

Cut Man closed the fridge door and turned his gaze towards his father, his blue eyes locked onto his father’s own blue eyes but something in his son’s gaze made Dr Light flinch.

It was hollow, there was a distinct lack of emotion and liveliness in Cut Man’s eyes.

"Are you Doctor Thomas Light?"

The aged scientist felt like something harsh had slapped him across the face when that lifeless voice had come out of his son’s mouth, it was so wrong but it sparked some familiarity in his mind and the human man begged for it not to be true.

"Yes...son, do you not remember me?"

Cut Man shook his head in affirmation, this also affirmed for Dr Light that something was gravely wrong. No time for breakfast, the human scientist gently grabbed his son by the arm and guided him back to the lab for some answers.

"Doctor? Is something bothering you?"

Cut Man once more asked in his lifeless voice as his father plugged in the wires he’d been hooked up to previously back into his opened up chest panel.

"Yes, you appear to be lacking memory and emotion along with personality so I need to check your cognitive circuit."

Dr Light tapped away on his keyboard urgently, the computer screen displayed a bar for him to input his personal security code like it had done the night before. Once Dr Light presses enter security code he was shocked beyond words.

**ACCESS DENIED**

**SECURITY CODE NOT RECOGNIZED**

**TRY AGAIN?**

"It appears the security code you used is not registered, please input the registered security code if you want to properly access the functionalities of my cognitive circuit."

Dr Light leaned back into his chair wordlessly while his son spoke so robotically, his eyes wide, so many questions flew around in his head. Why had his code not been recognized? How could this even be possible? What had gone wrong?

But most importantly of all, could he fix this and what would he tell his children when they woke?

So much for a happy family reunion, he thought bitterly as he got out of his chair and shakily approached his son who gazed at him coldly. He took Cut Man into a tight hug and could not help but mutter apologies under his breath.

Cut Man did not hug back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I am indeed that evil. 
> 
> Cut being a ghost was hinted at in the end of every chapter, he was there the whole time though sadly no one noticed him but now he’s back! Sort of...
> 
> And yes, I am indeed ending one of my stories on a cliffhanger once more.

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a very emotional ride, better buckle in tightly.


End file.
